Orlistat is a medicine that is used by those people who are considered obese and/or overweight. The tablet will help protect your body from excess fats that are absorbed through the unhealthy foods you eat. When you eat a fatty food, Orlistat will block a third of the fats and instead of letting your system digest it, it will skip that process and be immediately taken out of your body in the form of waste/stool.
But how do we classify if the person is obese or not? To assess if you are eligible to take the medicine, you have to check your BMI (Body Mass Index) first and if the result is higher than 30, and you are about 28 years old and above, then you can most likely use this medicine. Orlistat can be bought at the drug stores but only if you have a prescription in hand so even if you have already identified yourself as an obese person, you would still need to see your doctor and have him examined you first. Having a BMI of above 30 doesn’t always mean that you can readily take Orlistat when you want to because there will still be several exceptions to the rule. For example, if you are currently pregnant, you won’t be able to take Orlistat as it will be bad for your unborn baby.
You must also be aware that even though Orlistat can help you lose weight, it is still very important that you pair it with a balanced healthy diet as well as exercise. Taking Orlistat alone cannot do the tricks because if you continue eating a lot of fatty food and don’t exercise at all, the medicine won’t be effective at all. It can’t possibly get rid of all the fats in the body and since Orlistat is taken based on prescription, you can’t just consume a whole lot of it, thinking it would help because overdosing in any medicines may result to something fatal.
As with other medicines, Orlistat may work and may not work in some people and so it is important not to rely on medicines alone. In fact, if you can find a way to get used to eating healthy and taking a moment of your time to workout, if not on a daily basis, at least 3-4 times a week, I’m sure that your will eventually achieve your desired weight. What is good with Orlistat though is that it helps you reach your goals faster.
Another thing to note is that as with other medicines, Orlistat may also give some side effects to your body. Since Orlistat allows your fats to be released as waste instead of being absorbed in the body, this could mean that when you take Orlistat, there is a chance that you’ll feel like going to the bathroom as soon as it takes effect. For this reason, it is not advisable for you to take this medicine when you are out especially when attending an event because you might not enjoy the idea of visiting the toilet several times in public. Also, taking Orlistat may result to experiencing oil spots in your clothes. This is specially true if you still continue to take high calorie – fatty food. This certainly isn’t something you would want to experience when you are out and about. So always be cautious when taking Orlistat.
I am self employed. General Practitioner in Melbourne, VIC. My special interest: male reproductive system.